ALS staff members host a variety of scientific, educational, government, and community-related tours each month.

April 2014

Congresswoman Jackie Speier, who represents southern San Francisco and northern Peninsula communities, recently spent an afternoon at Berkeley Lab. In addition to an overview of the Lab provided by Lab Director Paul Alivisatos, Speier toured the FLEXLAB and the Advanced Light Source. At the ALS she spoke with Beamline Scientist Ken Goldberg (at right) of CXRO about current research in semiconductors.

The Congresswoman was elected to the Congress in 2008. Previously she served the residents of the San Francisco Peninsula while on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and later in the California State Assembly and State Senate. In total she has over 29 years of representative public service.

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein visited Berkeley Lab on Tuesday, April 15. As Chairman of the Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Feinstein plays an important role in setting funding levels for the Department of Energy. Lab Director Paul Alivisatos hosted the Senator on a tour of the Advanced Light Source where she met with scientists and users from industry and academia, and on a tour of the Molecular Foundry.

ALS Division Director led a group of UC Berkeley Physics students around the ALS. More than 40 students got their first look at a busy research facility where they learned about current research and career possibilities.

Jeff Troutman of the ALS answers some tough questions from curious fifth-graders from a Berkeley public school. The students spent their time at Berkeley Lab doing hands-on activities and learning about the different scientific facilities at Berkeley Lab. They were part of a program sponsored by the Lab's Workforce Development & Education department that offers a variety of programs for students and educators. The "BLAZES" program is a 3-hour workshop held on-site that provides hands-on activities, a research lab tour, and talks from scientist volunteers to Bay Area 5th grade classes.

Steve Kevan welcomed the visiting management team from BASF who were in Berkeley to celebrate the opening of the new research institute CARA (California Research Alliance) on the UC Berkeley campus. The visitors included Peter Schuhmacher (President of Process Research & Chemical Engineering), Peter Walther (Senior Vice President of the Department of New Technologies), Kerstin Schierle-Arndt (Associate Director CARA), and Christian Schildknecht (Innovation Manager CARA).

A large group of BASF technical staff had also visited the ALS the previous month.

Representatives from the Canadian Consulate and Hydro-Québec toured the ALS and spoke with several scientists including Ethan Crumlin (at right) about current research in energy storage and battery efficiency.

Berkeleyside is Berkeley, California’s independently owned local news site. Launched in 2009, the news site reports "on the diversity of people, issues, events, food and environment in Berkeley."

February 2014

On February 28, Dr. Mahantesh Hiremath (left) toured the ALS accompanied by SSG Lead Zahid Hussain. Dr. Hiremath was selected as American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Congressional Fellow through a nationwide selection process in April 2013. He joined the House (Majority) of the Committee on Science, Space and Technology as Technical Advisor on September 1. He has been tasked to assist the Energy and Environment Subcommittees. His current assignment will end on August 31, 2014.

On February 21, Roger Falcone and Steve Kevan gave a tour around the ALS to members of the National Labs Operations Board who were meeting in Berkeley. The group was particularly interested in seeing examples of battery research and opportunities for industrial scientific collaborations.

Students from Contra Costa College spent the day at Berkeley Lab touring the ALS and and the machine shops in Building 77 (right). Along the way they visited the Howard Hughes Medical Institute beamlines at the ALS where a researcher showed them the intricacies of protein crystallography (left).

Oakland Chamber of Commerce members Eleanor Hollander and Shannon Pedder toured the ALS in early February as part of a information gathering process for an upcoming symposium on renewable energy. The were particularly interested in solar energy and battery research, and also in the number of protein structures resolved on ALS beamlines.

Beamline scientist Sung-Kwan Mo was interviewed by a team from SPIE--the international society for optics and photonics--for a short film about synchrotron sources that will be shown at the upcoming SPIE conference later this summer.

December 2013

On December 5, Steve Binkley, the new Associate Director of the Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) program office toured the ALS accompanied by Bob Meisner from the NNSA, and Barb Helland, head of the ASCR Facilities Department. The ASCR funds NERSC, ESnet and CRD. Berkeley Lab computer scientists and engineers are working to move beamline data in real time via ESnet to supercomputers at NERSC, where it is processed, analyzed and visualized on the fly. Though they are currently working with the Advanced Light Source (ALS) at Berkeley Lab, their work can be extended to other light sources. Binkley (second from right) spoke with several beamline scientists about the challenge of managing large amounts of data during his tour, including Alex Hexemer (farleft).

Mike Knotek, Deputy Undersecretary for Science and Energy (second from right) visited Berkeley Lab after participating in the first day of the Secretary of Energy's Advisory Board (SEAB) at Livermore on Monday. Those accompanying hime while at the ALS include (from left) Bill Johansen, Janoz Kirz, Steve Kevan, and Pat Oddone. For more information about the new Office of the Undersecretary for Science and Energy Office at DOE, visit their web site.

November 2013

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Ponemanvisited Berkeley Lab on Friday, Nov. 15, during a brief stay in the Bay Area. Glenn Mara of the University of California Office of the President and Aundra Richards of the DOE Berkeley Site Office joined Deputy Laboratory Director Horst Simon’s welcome. They updated Poneman on the lab’s future initiatives and current capital projects and heard briefings on cyber security, computing, and the Joint BioEnergy Institute. As second-in-command at DOE, Poneman is responsible for assisting the Secretary of Energy in the management and operations of the agency and acting on his behalf when necessary.During his tour of the ALS, Poneman (right) spoke with Ken Goldberg (Materials Sciences Division) at the CXRO beamline.

October 2013

On October 15, newly installed University of California President Janet Napolitano took and extensive tour of Berkeley Lab and the ALS. The new president, the first woman to hold the post, is a firm supporter of the national labs and their research, and was particularly interested in the role of the lab and its interactions with the UC campuses and the state of California.

At right in photo, Carolyn Larabell describes the research at the National Center for X-Ray Tomography, as Berkeley Lab Director Paul Alivisatos looks on.

During her tour Napolitano also spoke with Dula Parkinson (below left) and students at their beamlines.

On October 17, Christine Beavers showed a group of visiting science and engineering students from Africa and the Middle East the tools of the trade during their visit to the ALS. The visit was organized byTechWomen, an organization dedicated to "Bringing the power of global business, technology, and education together, TechWomen pairs women in Silicon Valley with their counterparts in the Middle East and North Africa for a professional mentorship and exchange program at leading technology companies. Using innovative technologies, cutting-edge content, and social networking tools, TechWomen fosters and develops the next generation of women leaders in the technology field by providing women and girls with the access and opportunity needed to pursue tech-based careers."

September 2013

Steve Kevan (left), ALS division deputy for science, and beamline scientist Hendrik Bluhm (right) escorted Joachim Sauer around the ALS during a recent visit. Dr. Sauer is currently a Visiting Miller Professor in Chemistry at UC Berkeley. Since 1993, Sauer has been a professor of theoretical chemistry at Humboldt University in Berlin, and since 2006, an external member of the Fritz Haber Institute (Max Planck Society). He is member of the Berlin-Brandenburg (formerly Prussian) Academy of Sciences, the German National Academy Leopoldina, and the Academia Europaea. His research has explored the application of quantum chemical methods in chemistry, with emphasis on surface science, particularly adsorption and catalysis. He has published more than 300 research papers, notably in the area of modeling the structure and reactivity of zeolites and transition metal oxide catalysts, and he has given more than 330 invited lectures. He has also been the was chairman of the Collaborative Research Center of the German Research Foundation (DFG) from 1999-2011.

The new Counselor for Science and Technology at the Chinese Consulate, Wang Junming (third from left), visited Berkeley Lab on Monday, September 6. Director Roger Falcone led a tour that focused on potential ALS-China collaborations. Joining Falcone were (from right) Jinghua Guo, Wanli Yang, and SSG Group Leader Zahid Hussain, The Counselor has worked for the ministry of science and technology for over 30 years.

August 2013

Helmut Schwarz (right) toured the ALS with Hendrik Bluhm on August 28. Professor Schwarz is currently the president of the Humboldt Foundation, which sends many German postdocs abroad—a lot of them to Berkeley Lab—and also invites senior researchers from abroad to perform research in Germany with a German colleague. He is also a professor at the Technical University in Berlin.

July 2013

Congressman Chaka Fattah (center), (D-PA), 2nd District, West Philadelphia; Chestnut Hill, is a senior member on the Appropriations Committee and also serves on the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development. Among his many interests are the study of the brain and all aspects of science from the basic to the applied. He has met with Director Alivisatos (right) multiple times and has shown interest in the research at light sources and national laboratories.

June 2013

On June 25, Candace Culhane (center) of the National Security Agency, toured the ALS with Director for Operations Michael Banda, and Kathy Yelick, Berkeley Lab Associate Director for Computing Sciences. Culhane visited the lab and expressed interest in finding ways for respective agencies and labs to work together, specifically concerning the future of computing devices. She also was interested in learning about the capabilities of user facilities like the ALS and the Molecular Foundry.

Governor Li Xueyong of the Jiangsu Province of the People's Republic of China, visited Berkeley Lab with members of his staff very briefly on June 24, for a quick tour of research facilities. ALS Beamline Scientist Zhi Liu (at right in photo) his research and the role of user facilities like the ALS. The Jiangsu Province is California's Sister State in China and Governor Jerry Brown spent considerable time in the Jiangsu Province during his trip to China in April. The two parties signed an MOU to prioritize cooperation in the sectors of new energy, new material, biomedicine, information technology, and high-tech agriculture.

New York Times science reporter John Markoff toured the ALS on June 14. Markoff, whose focus is on technology and and new research tools, was visiting to understand the value of national laboratories and the potential effects of sequestration on the nation's research facilities. Beamline Scientist Dula Parkinson demonstrated the power of ALS tomography Beamline 8.3.2 when they viewed the 3-D reconstruction of a small spider.

May 2013

May 1-BILL GOLDSTEIN, deputy director for LLNL Science & Technology, leads the strategic deployment of the Laboratory's science and technology capabilities, taking line responsibility for the institutional roadmap portfolio, including the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program, collaborative research with academia and private industry, and institutional planning activities. Prior to his appointment as deputy director, Goldstein served as associate director of Physical & Life Sciences, where he had responsibility for a broad range of physics research and development; medical physics and biophysics; chemistry; optical sciences and instrumentation; and high-energy-density physics. He has been a strong contributor to stockpile stewardship by generating data that underlies advanced codes and simulations. Goldstein led the creation of the Jupiter Laser Facility and, in 2006, oversaw completion of Titan, a unique new Jupiter Laser Facility capability.

On Friday, May 17th, David Shaw, Vice President for Research and Economic Development at Mississippi State University at the invitation of Horst Simon. The goal is to explore potential areas for collaboration between Berkeley Lab and MSU. Glenn Steele, the Director of MSU's Energy Institute will also be joining Dr. Shaw. This visit developed after Argonne, Oak Ridge and Berkeley labs participated in National Lab Day at the MSU last November, hosted by Congressman Alan Nunnelee. For more background on this event, please see this link. For more information on the Office of Research and Economic Development at MSU, please see: http://www.research.msstate.edu/.

April 2013

On Thursday April 17, members from Chevron's Mentoring Excellence in Technology (MET) program toured the ALS to is learn about current research and novel discoveries related to the oil and gas industry. The program is designed to encourage technical excellence in the company's future technology leaders through collaboration and knowledge sharing. Participant nominees typically have 5–15 years of industry experience, are technically creative, exhibit technical leadership, work successfully in teams, and embrace Chevron's values. Mentee assignments require innovative application of technology. At the ALS they were welcomed by Roger Falcone (top left), then some of the group joined ALS Scientific Director Steve Kevan for a tour around the ring (center), before stopping at SAXS/WAXS Beamline 7.3.3 to talk with Beamline Scientist Alex Hexemer (right).

March 2013

David Kramer, News Editor at Physics Today (at right in photo), toured the ALS as part of a review of Bay Area national labs. He was particularly interested in how potential cuts in funding owing to sequestration, would affect government laboratories. He posed alongside Jon Weiner, LBNL Public Affairs, in front of one of the original ALS undulators that had recently been removed during the 2013 Shutdown.

Rajan Kish (at right in photo), Director of the California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) toured the ALS as part of a lab-wide tour on Friday March, 22. The tour, desinged to showcase on the scientific research activities that provide promising ecocnmic benefit for the State of California. After an overview of the accelerator and scientific programs on ALS beamlines from Roger Falcone, Patrick Naulleau of the Center for X-Ray Optics presented recent research results and discussed industrial collaborations with Sematech. Peter Denes then provided an overview of the potential scientific opportunities of the Nest Generation Light Source.

February 2013

Congressman Eric Swalwell visited Berkeley Lab on February 22nd. He is newly elected and represents California's 15th district which encompasses Hayward, part of Fremont, and Livermore. The goal of the visit was to introduce him to the capabilities, the breadth of research and its impact, and the sizable research investments that are already being made at at Berkeley Lab, and the ALS. Vowing to be a “champion for renewable energy,” Swalwell has indicated that he will push for more federal spending directed toward private companies developing renewable-energy technology. Swalwell hopes for a seat on the Energy and Commerce Committee or the Science, Space and Technology Committee.

Also on Friday Feb 22, Andrew Liveris, President, Chairman, and CEO of The Dow Chemical Company, visited Berkeley Lab at the request of Paul Alivisatos. He was joined by David Kepler, Executive Vice President of their Business Services Group and their Chrief Sustainability Officer. In addition to a private meeting with Paul, the Dow visitors wanted to see the ALS, specifically the beamline that Dow used for x-ray microscopy.

On February 15, David McCallen, Associate Vice President for Laboratory Programs at UCOP visited Berkeley Lab at the request of Horst Simon. McCallen's appointment became official on January 16th. He will be working closely with Glenn Mara, Vice President of Laboratory Management at UCOP. As AVP of Lab Programs, McCallen will lead the UC's oversight of the scientific and mission programs as they are structured within the LLCs that operate Los Alamos and LLNL in addition to LBNL. Although he is an alumnus of LBNL (as the former program leader for Nuclear Energy Safety Projects within ESD), the goal for this visit was to familiarize McCallen with the major initiatives and scientific programs currently underway at LBNL and to build relationships among the senior leadership of Berkeley Lab.

Andrew McAllister, Commissioner of the California Energy Commission, visited Berkeley Lab at the invitation of Deputy Director Horst Simon and Sam Chapman, Manager of State Relations. He was appointed to the position by Governor Brown in May of last year and fills the Economist Member position on the five-member Commission. A former Berkeley Lab energy efficiency analyst, McAllister was interested in grid integration work and buildings research (including updates on demand/response, residential retrofit, overview of EETD's activities for the CEC, and education, i.e. Cool Your Schools)—buildings research being a principle area of policy oversight and current activity for him. (In the picture: Kristin Balder-Froid, Andre McAllister, Horst Simon (Berkeley Lab Deputy Director), Ashok Gadgil (Environmental Energy Technology Division Director), and Armando Viramontes (Berkeley Lab Public Affairs).)

January 2013

US Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) (center) toured the ALS on January 29, escorted by Berkeley Lab Director Paul Alivsatos and ALS Division Director Roger Falcone. Tour stops included a visit to the structural biology beamlines where she met with the Head of the Berkeley Center for Structural Biology, Corie Ralston, and talked with beamline users.

On Friday, January 25, the ALS welcomed the Advisory Committee for the Union of Concerned Scientists. They toured the ALS in two groups, getting the inside scoop on the latest research from ALS Deputy Director for Operations Michael Banda, Ina Reichel of AFRD, and beamline scientists working in protein crystallography and chemical dynamics, among others. They also got a bird's-eye view of the ALS from atop the ring.

Scientific Support Group Leader Zahid Hussain welcomed Alberto Moscatelli, Associate Editor of Nature Nanotechnology on January 15. Moscatelli was touring Berkeley Lab to learn about current research in energy and materials sciences.

November 2012

A producer and vidoegrapher from the "Dan Rather Reports" program toured the ALS with Roger Falcone. They were investigating stories about energy for future production.

October 2012

Members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences visited Berkeley Lab On October 26, as the guests of Director Paul Alivisatos. The group, led by Academy Vice President Zhan Wenlong (fourth from left) were particularly interested in energy research and spoke with beamline scientist Musa Ahmed during their tour, which was led by ALS Division Director Roger Faclone (center).

Shortly after guiding members of the Chinese Academy around the ALS, Director Falcone welcomed a group of Chevron Fellows from Chevron's Mentoring of Technical Excellence Program. The group, whose members have between 15-40 years experience in their respective fields—fuel separation research and development, earth sciences, advanced materials, IT, and geophysics—are now broadening their applications into new energy technologies.

On October 18, members of the Council of Energy Research and Education Leaders (CEREL) took a break from their annual meeting at UC Berkeley to venture up the hill and visit with scientists engaged in energy research at the ALS. Beamline scientist Musa Ahmed (at left) discussed current energy work on combustion Beamline 9.0.2; other scientists who presented their work included Jinghua Guo (Li-ion batteries), Corie Ralston (bioenergy research), and Mike Martin and Hoi-Ying Holman (energy research on infrared beamlines). CEREL is a "multidisciplinary organization made up of heads of academic energy research and education centers, institutes, and programs. Itprovides the means for leaders in energy research, education, and communication to collaboratively use knowledge about energy to improve education, decision-making, and, more generally, the well-being of society".

September 2012

Congressman Steve Womack (R-Arkansas) toured the ALS on September 25, along with Berkeley Lab Director Paul Alivisatos. The group, led by ALS Division Director Roger Falcone, saw the ALS from atop the storage ring before visiting CXRO's EUV lithography beamline to discuss recent research with Beamline Scientist Ken Goldberg (right). Womack, a freshman member of Congress is Vice Chairman of the House Energy and Water Development Appropriations Committee, a member of the House Energy Action Team, and Deputy Whip.

August 2012

A team from the California Academy of Sciences were on site for a day, filming activities around the ALS and interviewing beamline scientists about their work, their life as scientists at the ALS, and what they do in their (rare) spare time. Interviewees included Ken Goldberg, Christine Beavers, Roger Falcone, Kate Jenkins, Leif Steinhour,Teresa Hofstetter, John Jameson, and Hendrik Bluhm. The short film will be shown at the Academy, and will also be shown on the ALS Web site. It is due to be complete at the end of September.

Senior staff from the U.S. House of Representatives Science Committee visited Berkeley Lab and campus on August 7 and 8 to learn more about programs that fall under their committee’s legislative jurisdiction. Chris King, Democratic Staff Director for the Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment, and Dahlia Sokolov, Democratic Staff Director for the Subcommittee on Research and Education, toured and the ALS and the Foundry with ALS Director Roger Falcone and ALS Division Deputy for Biosciences Paul Adams. They also met with computing ALD Kathy Yelick, Physical Biosciences Director Adam Arkin, and others.

July 2012

On Friday, July 13, Berkeley Lab hosted members of the Parliamentary Assembly from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Science and Technology Committee. After discussions about energy research, biofuels, nanotechnology and climate modeling at the Lab, the group toured the ALS with Director Roger Falcone.

April 2012

On April 20, Roger Falcone greeted a delegation from Shenzhen, China, led by the city's vice-mayor. The group, hosted by the Lab's China Energy Group, toured the ALS, and, representing the Shenzhen Institute of Building Research, participated in the the launching ceremony for research collaboration with Berkeley Lab on Built Environment.

March 2012

Members of Berkeley Lab's Community Advisory Group visited the lab to get an idea about current research, and to learn more about Berkeley Lab's rich history and scientific achievements. The group, comprising members of the local community, was established in 2010 to provide a forum for its members to offer advice and feedback on community concerns about the lab. Roger Falcone showed the group around the ALS; the visit was facilitated by the State Government and Community Relations Office in Public Affairs.

February 2012

Loius Stewart, Deputy Director, Innovation and Entrepreneurship for California toured the ALS with Michelle Moskowitz, UC Bekeley Director of Government Affairs Advocacy and Institutional Relations on Friday, February 24. Led by acting Science Director Ben Feinberg, the visitors stopped by several beamlines before learning about structural biology research and pharmaceutical industrial participation at the ALS from beamline scientist Peter Zwart (second from left). Ms. Moskowitz is standing in front of a poster displaying more than 3000 protein structures solved at the ALS.

Berkeley Lab's Public Affairs sponsored a special News Media Climate Workshop for local reporters on Tuesday, February 7. After presentations about climate change research from Margaret Torn, Billy Collins, and others, the group toured the ALS with Director Roger Falcone, and stopped by Beamline 8.0.1 to learn about advances in battery development from Wanli Yang (left). They also heard from Musa Ahmed about current research in combustion atBeamline 9.0.2. Reporters from the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Reuters, and other news outlets attended the workshop. A journalist from San Francisco's Business Times described her visit to the ALS in the article "Berkeley Lab synchrotron like Star Wars or 1950s sci-fi."

November 2011

U.S. Congressman John Garamendi (center) and a meeting of his Manufacturing Advisory Committee (MAC) were hosted at the ALS User Support Building on November 10. The MAC is made up of business and labor leaders from throughout California's 10th Congressional District and the East Bay. The meeting opened with a welcome by Director Paul Alivisatos, and Advanced Light Source Director Roger Falcone (right) was also on hand.

The Berkeley Lab hosted the Board of Directors for the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce last week. The Berkeley Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit organization that works to advance opportunities for local businesses. During their visit, the Berkeley Chamber Board members toured the Advanced Light Source led by its director Roger Falcone and Community Relations Representative Armando Viramontes.

October 2011

Forty-one students visited the Lab last week to attend a symposium by the Society of Mexican American Engineers and Scientists. While here they explored internship opportunities, toured the Advanced Light Source and Molecular Foundry, and learned about the Lab’s diverse research. For more information on the symposium and MAES, go here.

September 2011

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan and associates stopped at the ALS after touring the Lab to learn about educational programs and current energy research. During her ALS tour, she spoke with beamline scientist Hendrik Bluhm about energy and environmental research on Beamline 11.0.2. In the photo, from left, Susan Kattchee, Manager Environmental Services; Mayor Quan, Roger Falcone; Mark Gomez, Environmental Protection and Compliance; and Hendrik Bluhm.

August 2011

On August 17, U.S, Senator Barbara Boxer toured the ALS to get an overview of energy research being conducted at the facility. Accompanied by Berkeley Lab Director Paul Alivisatos, ALS Division Director Roger Falcone pointed Boxer to several beamlines where researchers are working in different areas of energy science. After visiting Beamline 7.0 to discuss artificial photosynthesis with Junko Yano, Boxer met with 9.0 Beamline Scientist Musa Ahmed (in photo at right) to learn about more efficient combustion.

Also on the 17, U.S. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren from the 16th District (Silicon Valley) visited Berkely Lab and toured the ALS and Molecular Foundry (at right) to learn about the Lab's research priorities and current work in energy and technology. She is a member of the House Committee on Science, Technology and Space.

John W. McDonald, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Chevron Corporation visited the ALS on August 17, after an earlier discussion with Energy Secretary Steven Chu in Washington about energy research at the ALS. After an introduction to the ALS from Michael Banda, McDonald talked with Beamline Scientist Dula Parkinson (in photo at right) about current research done by Chevron scientists on Beamline 8.3.2. McDonald is responsible for Chevron's three technology companies: Energy Technology, Information Technology and Technology Ventures. He manages the research, development and deployment of technology throughout the company's worldwide business activities.

July 2011

California Public Utilities Commissioner Mike Florio toured the ALS with Roger Falcone on July 27. During the tour, they visited ALS Beamline Scientist Wanli Yang to discuss energy efficiency and battery storage research on Beamline 8.0.1. Florio was recently appointed commissioner by Governor Jerry Brown and is interested in the energy research capabilities of Berkeley Lab. In the photo, from left, Wanli Yang, Marcelo Poirier, Matthew Tisdale, Elizabeth Podolinsky, Roger Falcone, and Mike Florio.

On July 6, Division Director Roger Falcone (left) hosted a group from Dow Chemical Company led by Theresa Kotanchek (right). Dr. Kotanchek is the Vice President for Sustainable Technologies and Innovation Sourcing at Dow where she "is responsible for achieving the company’s Asia Pacific growth strategy through market-driven scientific and technological innovations, enhancing current products as well as creating new business and technology platforms."

June 2011

On June 25, the ALS hosted 50 visiting women form the Middle East and North Africa as part of tour and information sessions about research in science and engineering at the ALS and Berkeley Lab. Deputy Division Director for Operations Michael Banda (left) gave an overview of the accelerator to one group, while Scientific Support Group Leader Zahid Hussain (right) entertained another group at a beamline. The visit was organized by TechWomen, an organization dedicated to "Bringing the power of global business, technology, and education together, TechWomen pairs women in Silicon Valley with their counterparts in the Middle East and North Africa for a professional mentorship and exchange program at leading technology companies. Using innovative technologies, cutting-edge content, and social networking tools, TechWomen fosters and develops the next generation of women leaders in the technology field by providing women and girls with the access and opportunity needed to pursue tech-based careers."

Two senior students from Lafayettes's Acalanes High School were invited by ALS Director Roger Falcone to tour the ALS in early June following their win at the 2011 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. Matthew Fedderson, 17, and Blake Marggraff, 18, were awarded highest honors with the Gordon E. Moore Award for their research on treating simulated cancer cells with Compton scattering-produced secondary radiation. This research could offer a safer, more effective and less expensive method of radiation therapy for cancer treatment. During their tour at the ALS with Dr. Falcone, they spoke at length with ALS researchers Ed Westbrook from the Molecular Biology Consortium, and Beamline Scientist Al Thompson.

May 2011

Thirty visiting international MBA students at University of California's Haas School of Business were invited on a tour of the ALS in early May. The students, from the HEC Paris EMBA Program, were participating in an executive program focusing on Corporate Social Responsibility, Global Citizenship and Sustainability at Haas, and were interested in Berkeley Lab's history of innovation and practical applications of scientific research in service to global needs. ALS tour guides included Doug Taube, Michael Banda, and Elizabeth Moxon.

April 2011

The steering committee for the East Bay Green Corridor—a collaboration between local communities to create a region of green technology and economic development—met at the Lab on Wednesday, April 27. The committee includes representatives from Richmond, Berkeley, Oakland, Alameda, San Leandro, Albany, UC Berkeley, and the Lab. Currently the group is developing a regional solar-permitting policy to streamline the process and cost of installing residential solar panels. During their visit, members toured the Advanced Light Source and the Window Facility.

Two award-winning German students, Sebastian Klick (left) and Mathias Kaufmann, both 12th graders at the Gymnasium St. Michael, a technical-sciences oriented high school in Bad Münstereifel, Germany, visited the Lab recently as guests of the Goethe Institute in San Francisco. Their visit, which was part of their award for their winning research projects, included a tour of the Advanced Light Source with Joakim Andersson of EEBT.

March 2011

A group of Einstein Fellows—science and math teachers who share their expertise with Congress and other branches of the federal government—visited the Lab earlier this month, hosted by the Center for Science and Engineering Education (CSEE). Led by Ina Reichel of AFRD/CSEE, they toured the Advanced Light Source and were given an overview of the Lab’s various education programs. The fellows were in the Bay Area as part of the National Science Teachers Association national conference, at which CSEE participated.

Vivek Kundra, the U.S. Chief Information Officer, and Bob Brese, Acting Deputy Chief Information Officer for the Department of Energy, visited Berkeley Lab and the Advanced Light Source. As the first Federal CIO, Kundra “directs the policy and strategic planning of federal information technology investments and is responsible for oversight of federal technology spending,” according to www.whitehouse.gov. After receiving a welcome from Lab Director Paul Alivisatos and Lab Chief Information Officer Rosio Alvarez, Kundra and Brese toured the ALS with Division Deputy for Operations Michael Banda. They also toured the Molecular Foundry, and discussed Data Center Energy Efficiencystrategies and cloud services with Berkeley Lab staff.

January 2011

Representative George Miller (right) and three of his district staff visited Berkeley Lab for meetings with Director Paul Alivisatos and senior Lab researchers and tours of the Advanced Light Source and the National Center for Electron Microscopy. Miller (pictured with Peter Ercius of NCEM) is the co-chair of the House Democrats Policy and Steering Committee. He represents the 7th Congressional district that stretches from Vacaville and Pittsburg in the east to Richmond and El Cerrito in the west.

President Ralph Eichler, of the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, visited several facilities at Berkely before stopping at the ALS. Division Director Roger Falcone gave an overview of the ALS before a brief tour highlighting ALS scientific and educational activities. ETH Zurich, founded in 1855, is renowned for its educational, technical, and basic research programs.

November 2010

Wan Gang, China's Minister of Science and Technology, toured the lab and the ALS with other members of his organization and staff from the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco. In October, Berkeley Lab announced that it will receive $12.5 million over the next five years to lead a consortium on energy-efficient building technologies under the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center (CERC), an agreement that the Minister had signed with U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu.

Bay Area government and opinion leaders toured Berkeley Lab last Thursday and stopped by the Advanced Light Source, the Molecular Foundry, and the National Center for Electron Microscopy. Participants included (front row, l-r) Doug Boxer of Boxer & Associates and the Oakland Planning Commission, Carla Din of the East Bay Green Corridor, Alameda County Administrator Susan Muranishi, Mina Sanchez, Office Manager to Supervisor Carson, and (back row, far right) Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson.

May 2010

Members of the Executive Committee of the France-Berkeley Fund met on the UC Berkeley campus the morning of May 24 to review applications for grants, then came up to Berkeley Lab for tours of the Molecular Foundry and the ALS. Guided by Ben Feinberg and Michael Banda around the ALS, the group stopped for a photo under the magnet yoke. Established in 1993 as a partnership between the government of France and the University of California at Berkeley, the France-Berkeley Fund (FBF) promotes scholarly exchange in all disciplines between UC Berkeley and all research centers and public institutions of higher education in France.

On Wednesday, May 19, Sally Ericsson, the Program Associate Director for Natural Resources Programs in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)at the White House, visited Berkeley Lab and the ALS. Accompanied by Kevin Carroll, Chief of the Energy Branch at OMB, M
s. Ericsson stopped by Beamine 12.0.1.3 to hear from Ken Goldberg (near right) about recent advances in EUV lithography.

California Congressman John Garamendi (near right) addressed the Berkeley Lab community in the Building 50 Auditorium before touring the ALS with Physical Bioscience Division Director Paul Adams who gave him an overview of current energy research at the ALS. The group also stopped by Beamline 6.0 to talk with student Tanja Cuk (far left) about artificial photosynthesis, and by the protein crystallography beamlines. Garamendi serves on the House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology.

April 2010

Students from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, visited the ALS on Friday, April 2. Escorted by ALS tour guides Jinghua Guo and Liz Moxon, the students—members of the Physics and Astronomy Club—visited several beamlines and spoke with ALS researchers before taking pictures atop the booster ring.

In early April, Representative Rodney Frelinghuysen, the Ranking Republican Member of the House Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee toured Berkeley Lab with stops at the Molecular Foundry, National Center for Electron Microscopy, and the ALS. The subcommittee on which he sits is responsible for writing the annual appropriations bill that funds the Department of Energy.

March 2010

ALS Project Manager Steve Rossi hosted a group of visitors from Kazakhstan on Friday, March 5. The visitors, including a representative from the Kazakhstan Embassy in Washington and the President and the Business Development Manager of the New University of Astana, were touring Berkeley Lab to explore the possibilities of developing collaborations and future cooperative agreements.

University of California Regent Ronald W. Stovitz visited the ALS on March 1 as part of a tour of Berkeley Lab. Accompanied by 11 guests, Regent Stovitz was welcomed to the facility by SSG Group Leader Zahid Hussain (left) before touring the experiment floor and visiting beamlines and beamline scientists, Corie Ralston, Eli Rotenberg, and Hendrik Bluhm.

February 2010

Members of lightsources.org took time out from their meeting at SLAC to tour the ALS on Wednesday, February 24. After a brief welcome by ALS Division Director Roger Falcone, the group visited several beamlines with User Services Lead Sue Bailey before stopping for a photo under the historic dome. The group, representing synchrotron and FEL sources around the world, promote the science and technology of light sources through outreach activities and the collaborative web site lightsources.org.

January 2010

Lawrence Gumbiner, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Science, Space, and Health, toured the ALS on January 21 with Deputy Division Director for O
perations, Ben Feinberg. Mr. Gumbiner is interested in science policy and in exploring ways to strengthen ties between the State Department and the science and innovation community in Northern California.

Carl Bauer, Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Fossil Energy, DOE (formerly Director of NETL) and Jim Wood, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Clean Coal, were given a tour by Scientific Support Group Leader Zahid Hussain.

Roland Sauerbrey, the Scientific Director at Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf toured the ALS experiment floor with Ben Feinberg on January 6.

December 2009

Sandra Bruce, DOE Assistant Inspector General, and two of her staff members visited December 17.